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Justin R. Nichols, Ph.D.

Justin Nichols is a hydrologist at the New Mexico Water Science Center. He received his Doctorate, Masters, and Bachelors in Civil Engineering from the University of New Mexico with a focus on ecohydrology.

After graduating high school, Justin joined the US Army, where he was stationed with the 173rd Airborne in Germany and Afghanistan. In his tours of Germany and Afghanistan, Justin started to develop his appreciation for ecosystem services, green infrastructure, and water resource management; therefore, after 4-years in the Army Justin decided to pursue his passion for resilient green infrastructure and stream restoration by attending the University of New Mexico’s Civil Engineering program. In his ungraduated program Justin became acquainted with the ecohydrology research being performed within his department, which ultimately led him to graduate with his Ph.D. in civil engineering enabling with a focus on ecohydrology. Justin’s Ph.D. research focused on the effects of changing snow precipitation and wildfires have on surface water quality and aquatic ecosystem functioning, and utilizing machine learning techniques coupled with high-frequency sonde data to estimate nutrient uptake rates within fluvial systems.

Professional Experience

  • 2022 to Current, Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, New Mexico Water Science Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico

  • 2018 to 2023, Research Assistant, Center of Water and the Environment, University of New Mexico

     

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D. Civil Engineering, University of New Mexico, 2023

  • M.S. Civil Engineering, University of New Mexico, 2020

     

  • B.S. Civil Engineering, University of New Mexico, 2018

Honors and Awards

  • 2018 Pat Tillman Scholar

  • 2017 ASCE New Mexico Outstanding Senior

Science and Products

Lagrangian water quality monitoring of the Animas River: Data release from a sonde-equipped raft sampling campaign that occurred on the Animas River between Trimble, CO to Farmington, NM in June, 2022

The purpose of this data release is to provide water quality data that were collected during a raft sampling campaign near USGS streamgage 372728107475701 (Animas River at Bakers Bridge north of Durango, CO) to USGS streamgage 09364500 (Animas River at Farmington, NM) between the dates 06/06/2022 and 06/10/2022. Chemical and physical parameters were collected at 1-minute intervals with...
By
New Mexico Water Science Center

Data supporting the 2020 and 2021 geomorphic survey of North Fork Eagle Creek, New Mexico

This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release contains results from the 2020 and 2021 geomorphic survey of North Fork Eagle Creek, New Mexico. Both geomorphic surveys were conducted by the USGS, in cooperation with the Village of Ruidoso, New Mexico, and are the last set of surveys in a planned series of five annual geomorphic surveys of the stream reach located between the North Fork...
By
New Mexico Water Science Center

Assessment of post-wildfire geomorphic change in the North Fork Eagle Creek stream channel, New Mexico, 2017–21

The 2012 Little Bear Fire caused substantial vegetation loss in the Eagle Creek Basin of south-central New Mexico. This loss was expected to alter the localized hydrologic response to precipitation by creating conditions that amplify surface runoff, which might alter the geomorphology of North Fork Eagle Creek, a major tributary to Eagle Creek. To monitor short-term geomorphic change...
Authors
Justin R. Nichols, Shaleene B. Chavarria, Alexander P. Graziano
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Mexico Water Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Nichols, J., Joseph, E., Kaphle, A. et al. Longitudinal propagation of aquatic disturbances following the largest wildfire recorded in New Mexico, USA. Nat Commun 15, 7143 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51306-9
Tunby, P., Nichols, J., Kaphle, A., Khandelwal, A. S., Van Horn, D. J., & González-Pinzón, R. (2023). Development of a general protocol for rapid response research on water quality disturbances and its application for monitoring the largest wildfire recorded in New Mexico, USA. Frontiers in Water, 5, 1223338. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2023.1223338
Nichols, J., Khandelwal, A. S., Regier, P., Summers, B., Van Horn, D. J., & González-Pinzón, R. (2022). The understudied winter: Evidence of how precipitation differences affect stream metabolism in a headwater. Frontiers in Water, 4, 1003159. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2022.1003159
Khandelwal, A., González‐Pinzón, R., Regier, P., Nichols, J., & Van Horn, D. J. (2020). Introducing the Self‐Cleaning FiLtrAtion for Water quaLity SenSors (SC‐FLAWLeSS) system. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 18(9), 467-476.
https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10377
Regier, P., González-Pinzón, R, Van Horn, D., Reale, Nichols, J., Khandelwal, A. (2020), Water quality impacts of urban and non-urban arid-land runoff on the Rio Grande, Science of the Total Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138443
González‐Pinzón, R., Dorley, J., Regier, P., Fluke, J., Bicknell, K., Nichols, J., ... & Van Horn, D. J. (2019). Introducing “The Integrator”: A novel technique to monitor environmental flow systems. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 17(7), 415-427. https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10322

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Science and Products

Lagrangian water quality monitoring of the Animas River: Data release from a sonde-equipped raft sampling campaign that occurred on the Animas River between Trimble, CO to Farmington, NM in June, 2022

The purpose of this data release is to provide water quality data that were collected during a raft sampling campaign near USGS streamgage 372728107475701 (Animas River at Bakers Bridge north of Durango, CO) to USGS streamgage 09364500 (Animas River at Farmington, NM) between the dates 06/06/2022 and 06/10/2022. Chemical and physical parameters were collected at 1-minute intervals with...
By
New Mexico Water Science Center

Data supporting the 2020 and 2021 geomorphic survey of North Fork Eagle Creek, New Mexico

This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release contains results from the 2020 and 2021 geomorphic survey of North Fork Eagle Creek, New Mexico. Both geomorphic surveys were conducted by the USGS, in cooperation with the Village of Ruidoso, New Mexico, and are the last set of surveys in a planned series of five annual geomorphic surveys of the stream reach located between the North Fork...
By
New Mexico Water Science Center

Assessment of post-wildfire geomorphic change in the North Fork Eagle Creek stream channel, New Mexico, 2017–21

The 2012 Little Bear Fire caused substantial vegetation loss in the Eagle Creek Basin of south-central New Mexico. This loss was expected to alter the localized hydrologic response to precipitation by creating conditions that amplify surface runoff, which might alter the geomorphology of North Fork Eagle Creek, a major tributary to Eagle Creek. To monitor short-term geomorphic change...
Authors
Justin R. Nichols, Shaleene B. Chavarria, Alexander P. Graziano
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Mexico Water Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Nichols, J., Joseph, E., Kaphle, A. et al. Longitudinal propagation of aquatic disturbances following the largest wildfire recorded in New Mexico, USA. Nat Commun 15, 7143 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51306-9
Tunby, P., Nichols, J., Kaphle, A., Khandelwal, A. S., Van Horn, D. J., & González-Pinzón, R. (2023). Development of a general protocol for rapid response research on water quality disturbances and its application for monitoring the largest wildfire recorded in New Mexico, USA. Frontiers in Water, 5, 1223338. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2023.1223338
Nichols, J., Khandelwal, A. S., Regier, P., Summers, B., Van Horn, D. J., & González-Pinzón, R. (2022). The understudied winter: Evidence of how precipitation differences affect stream metabolism in a headwater. Frontiers in Water, 4, 1003159. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2022.1003159
Khandelwal, A., González‐Pinzón, R., Regier, P., Nichols, J., & Van Horn, D. J. (2020). Introducing the Self‐Cleaning FiLtrAtion for Water quaLity SenSors (SC‐FLAWLeSS) system. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 18(9), 467-476.
https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10377
Regier, P., González-Pinzón, R, Van Horn, D., Reale, Nichols, J., Khandelwal, A. (2020), Water quality impacts of urban and non-urban arid-land runoff on the Rio Grande, Science of the Total Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138443
González‐Pinzón, R., Dorley, J., Regier, P., Fluke, J., Bicknell, K., Nichols, J., ... & Van Horn, D. J. (2019). Introducing “The Integrator”: A novel technique to monitor environmental flow systems. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 17(7), 415-427. https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10322

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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